At least four people were killed in Israeli strikes across southern Syria on Tuesday, according to Syrian state media and official sources, as Israel continues its military campaign against the country’s new leadership while simultaneously engaging in dialogue.
Israel has launched hundreds of strikes in Syria since an Islamist-led alliance toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December. Alongside its military actions, Israel has opened talks with the interim government in Damascus.
An official from Syria’s defense ministry told AFP that three soldiers were killed when “an Israeli drone targeted one of the military buildings of the 44th division of the Syrian army in Kiswah, west of Damascus.” The official, who requested anonymity, said the strike destroyed part of the facility.
Earlier in the day, the SANA news agency reported that “a young man was killed in an Israeli strike on a home in the village of Taranja,” located on the formerly Syria-controlled side of the Golan Heights armistice line.
In a statement, Syria’s foreign ministry condemned “the recent Israeli attacks on its territory, which resulted in the martyrdom of a young man,” and criticized Israel’s military presence in Quneitra and Mount Hermon. The ministry denounced Israeli “arrest campaigns against civilians” and described the incursions as “a flagrant violation of the UN Charter, international law, and relevant Security Council resolutions,” warning they pose “a direct threat to peace and security in the region.”
The Israeli military confirmed Sunday that it had conducted “several activities last week in southern Syria to locate weapons and apprehend suspects.”
Meanwhile, regional voices have also weighed in. Saudi Arabia labeled the strikes “a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the sisterly Syrian Arab Republic and international law,” while Qatar urged “the international community to take decisive action against the Israeli occupation and compel it to halt its repeated attacks on Syrian territory.”
Since Assad’s fall, Israel has taken control of much of the UN-patrolled demilitarized zone on the Syrian side of the armistice line, including the summit of Mount Hermon, the highest peak in the region.
Diplomatic activity has also begun. Last week, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani met Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer in Paris to discuss restoring arrangements that had existed under the 1974 disengagement agreement.
What you should know
Israel’s strikes in southern Syria have left at least four people dead, including three soldiers and a civilian, as tensions rise alongside new diplomatic talks.
The attacks targeted military positions near Damascus and a village in the Golan Heights, drawing sharp condemnation from Syria and Arab states such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Since Assad’s ouster, Israel has expanded its presence in the UN-demilitarized zone, including Mount Hermon.
Despite ongoing violence, recent Paris talks between Syrian and Israeli officials signal a possible push toward reviving old disengagement agreements while regional concerns over sovereignty remain high.
